Coastal mapping: Humber Estuary - OpenLearn - Open University Coastal mapping: Humber Estuary Coastal mapping: Humber Estuary Updated Tuesday 6th November 2007 How has the Humber Estuary changed over the centuries? For a richer experience, explore these changes with our coastal mapping interactive. The Humber Estuary is a substantial funnel shaped estuarine, dominated by marine derived sediment, and a long thin spit with a south west orientation (Spurn Head). It is a macro tidal estuary with a large tidal range. The tidal range is comparable with that of the River Severn. This spit has undergone many periods of erosion and accretion over time, and has changed orientation slowly. The spit has been breached several times by waves overtopping the crest of the peninsula. Washover helps build the peninsula on the western side. Spurn Head is considered to have been formed by longshore drift of sediment washed out of the clay cliffs. The marine sediment has formed large tidal flats, and sand bars. The estuary is fed by sediment from the adjacent Holderness coast as well as fluvial sediment.

The tidally dominated areas create mudflats, whereas low wave energies create the sand flats in the lee of Spurn Head. The Humber Estuary is a major shipping route, with large ports such as Grimsby and Immingham sitting on the river banks. Here, there are several jetties, docks and lock gates illustrating the importance of trade within this area. 1828 Copyrighted image Copyright: Open2 team This is an accretionary system comprising highly mobile sands and mobile sand sheets. The area consists of a hooked spit and several large shoals both in the harbour entrance and in the harbour channel. In the lee of the spit, is a substantial tidal sand flat (Trinity Sands), representing quiescent sediment depositional area, created by low energy wave conditions. Washover from the coastal side of the spit is an important process, which causes breaching at high water or on a spring tide. The strong ebb tide also causes ripples offshore. Several sand shoals exist in the entrance. These are mobile banks which undergo various stages of growth and erosion. Sand Haile flats form the southern part of the entrance. This is an extensive area of exposed sands.

The entrance consists of a deep shipping channel, bounded by mobile bars. The exchange of sediment between the bars is an important process occurring within the harbour entrance. The mobile sands add to the complexity of this estuarine system. map River Humber | estuary, England, United Kingdom | Britannica.com estuary, England, United Kingdom River Tamar River Humber, North Sea inlet on the east coast of England , one of the major deepwater estuaries of the United Kingdom . The River Humber originates at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Trent and forms the historic boundary between the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire . The Humber is about 40 miles (64 km) long, extends west to east, and, with associated rivers and canals, drains 9,550 square miles (24,750 square km). The estuary itself is more than 0.75 mile (1.2 km) across at its farthest inland point and widens to more than 7 miles (11 km) near its mouth; there Spurn Head, a sand and shingle spit with lighthouse, lifeboat station, and bird sanctuary, extends into the estuary.

The great width of the estuary has prevented unified economic development of its traditionally quite different north and south banks. The Humber Bridge (opened in 1981), spanning the estuary, was constructed chiefly to aid further development. Measuring 4,626 feet (1,410 metres) in length, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was built and remains the longest in the United Kingdom. The River Humber is lined by the major ports of Kingston upon Hull , Grimsby , and Immingham . Humber Bridge over the River Humber, near Kingston upon Hull, Eng. Tonyharp The Humber Estuary - Major Rivers Of The British Isles Major Rivers Of The British Isles Image courtesy of Tony Harp, wikimedia commons The Humber Estuary is a deep water, inter-tidal estuary, situated in north east England which encompasses the coasts of East Yorkshire to the north and North Lincolnshire to the south. The estuary is forty miles long by seven miles wide at it's widest point and covers an area of seventy four acres which also forms the largest single output of freshwater in Great Britain, draining one fifth of England's entire land mass.

The Humber is also the largest coastal plain estuary on Great Britain's east coast and the second largest coastal plain in the country. The Humber Estuary is also the location of the United Kingdom's largest port complex, with four ports which between them handle fourteen per cent of the country's overall shipping movements. The estuary is also the site of the Humber Oil Refinery, the Lindsey Oil Refinery and a liquid gas storage facility all located at Killingholm in Lincolnshire. The estuary, which is sometimes wrongly called the River Humber, starts life at Trent Falls near Faxfleet in East Yorkshire, the site of the confluence of the two tidal rivers the River Trent and the River Ouse, and flows in an easterly direction towards its outer limits between Humberston in Lincolnshire and Spurn Head in East Yorkshire and then out into the North Sea. Historians believe that there once was a River Humber, during the days prior to the last ice age, which apparently had an extensive freshwater course along the former dry bed of what is now the North Sea. The estuary is fed by the one hundred and eighty five mile long, River Trent, the fifty two mile long, River Ouse, the twenty mile long, River Hull .

Tributaries of the Humber estuary include the seventeen mile long, River Anchcolme and the River Freshney. Situated along the Humber Estuary coast are the port and marina at Grimsby, the coastal town of Immingham, the small villages of Barton on Humber, Winteringham, South Ferriby, New Holland and the seaside resort of Cleethorpes in the county of Lincolnshire and the port of Kingston upon Hull with it's docks, port and marina, the Port of Goole and the small coastal towns of Hessel and North Ferriby in the county of East Yorkshire. Points of interest along it's coast are the one hundred acre, Far Ings National Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire, the eighty six acre, Water's Edge Country Park, also in Lincolnshire and the Welwick Wildlife Reserve in East Yorkshire. At the estuary's furthest point is Spurn Head, a three mile long by fifty meter wide sand spit, which covers an area of two hundred and eighty acres at high tide and four hundred and fifty acres at low tide.

The peninsular is home to a Special Protected Area (SPA), a National Nature Reserve, a bird observatory, a lighthouse and a permanent lightship, which is moored alongside a visitor centre and museum. At the entrance to the estuary are the two, Grade II Listed, Humber Forts, known as Haile Sand Fort and Bull Sand Fort, military installations which were constructed in 1919 to protect the entrance to the estuary. The estuary as a whole is also a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) a European Marine Site and a Ramsar Site. The estuary's coastline is surrounded by extensive inter-tidal mudflats, sand bars, sand dunes, salt marshes and reed beds which support a large wildlife habitat of wild fowl, wading birds, fish and shell fish. The estuary is also the site of Read's Island, an artificial island which is really no more than a large sand bank. The three hundred square acre island is the site of an RSPB Reserve.

The estuary is spanned by just the one crossing, the Humber Bridge, pictured above, a two point twenty two mile wide, single span, suspension bridge which was opened in 1981. The bridge links the two towns of Barton on Humber in Lincolnshire with Hessle in East Yorkshire. Another engineering feature of the estuary is the River Hull Tidal Barrier, located at the point where the River Hull drains into the estuary. The estuary is served by several lighthouses including two at Spurn Head Point, one at Withernsea also on Spurn Head, one each at the entrances to Goole and Hull Ports situated at Thorngumbald, three located at Killingholme in Lincolnshire, one at Whitton Ness also in Lincolnshire, the Paull Lighthouse near Kingston Upon Hull, a former lighthouse which once stood at Trent Falls but was relocated to Goole Port and the Whitgift Lighthouse at Ousefleet in East Yorkshire.

Countryside Character Initiative - Yorkshire and the Humber - Humber Estuary HUMBER ESTUARY Key Characteristics  Expansive, flat, low-lying, sometimes remote estuarine landscape dominated by the Humber and with an ever changing character due to tidal influences.  Dominance of sky and open views over the estuary, mudflats and salt marshes, where flood embankments allow.  A predominantly reclaimed former inter-tidal landscape of rectilinear fields with boundaries formed by dykes, drains and embankments.  A landscape of predominantly arable farming with some conspicuous areas of market gardening, particularly around Hull.  Internationally important coastal mudflats and other wetland and coastal habitats, including the Spurn peninsula.  Urban and industrial influences especially around Hull and on the South bank. Landscape Character The Humber Estuary is one of the largest river estuaries in England and the rivers draining into it drain about one fifth of the entire area of the country. This estuarine landscape is bordered by the high flood banks which contain the estuary, up to the point where it narrows inland just west of the confluence of the rivers Trent and Ouse.

Within this area the waters of the estuary itself provide the focal point of the landscape. Around it there is a terrestrial landscape of very low lying, flat farmland combined with urban and industrial development and some notable natural habitats. The waters of the Humber create a dynamic landscape which is always changing in both appearance and mood. This is due to the constant tidal movements, changing coastal weather and varying activity on the river. Low tide exposes extensive mud flats which, on gloomy days, can appear somewhat bleak and drab. But on brighter days the sun catches the water and transforms the scene. Land and water, though linked, can often appear quite separate because views outwards to the water are often interrupted or completely blocked by flood embankments. Today some of the finest views of the estuary come from the Humber Bridge which now links the north and south banks. On the estuary shore most of the flat farmland is an artificial creation formed by reclamation of salt marshes from the sea, by drainage of wet alluvial soils or by the process of warping. This involved seasonal tidal impoundment and controlled flooding of farmland with water rich in silt which was thus deposited on top of the existing soils.

As a result the farmland is now fertile and well drained and supports predominantly arable farming. Most of the farmed landscape is open and expansive with large regular fields, few visible field boundaries and limited, scattered tree cover. The most substantial area of this drained farmland is at Sunk Island just west of Spurn Head. In other areas a greater number of trees and more hedgerows create a slightly more sheltered and enclosed landscape The city of Kingston upon Hull lies at the mouth of the River Hull on the northern bank of the estuary and is surrounded by this estuarine farmed landscape. The farmland has an urban fringe character in some areas, being influenced by disused airfields, business parks and other forms of urban land use. There are also some areas of very industrial landscape, notably on the south bank at Immingham where there are on-shore oil and gas refineries. One particularly distinctive landscape within the estuary is the Spurn peninsula, a 5 kilometre long sand and shingle spit which extends out between the Humber and the North Sea at the end of the Holderness plain. This fragile and mobile landscape is dominated by the sea and the estuary.

There are enclosed farmed fields in the North but out along the spit and dunes and sand and shingle beaches dominate. The wind blown and sea washed peninsula changes shape and position over time. War time defence structures, a variety of buildings in brick and cobble, a lighthouse, lifeboat station and radar tower, all add interest to this sometimes bleak, exposed landscape. Physical Influences During the last Ice Age, advancing ice blocked the mouth of the estuary and impounded waters forming Lake Humber whose deposits created the Humberhead Levels. Once the ice melted the waters from this lake escaped eastwards and cut a channel through the newly deposited layers of till. The river eventually cut a wide, shallow valley which was later flooded as sea level rose and the estuary was formed. Above the high watermark there would originally have been extensive areas of salt marsh. It is these areas which have been substantially drained and cultivated to create the open, farmed landscape of today. Only a few small remnants now remain of the former marshes. Historical and Cultural Influences For several thousand years the Humber Estuary has provided a route for communication and trade and has attracted industry and settlement along its margins.

Important archaeological evidence shows that there has been activity in the area since prehistoric times. Bronze Age boats have been discovered on the foreshore and there is also evidence of early settlement on the higher, drier land just above the estuary. In the Bronze Age it is thought that the surrounding land was an area of extensive reed swamp edged with a wooded fringe of lime, and oak and alder carr. Those living in the drier settlements were able to exploit the surrounding rivers, creeks and meres and gradually clear woodland to allow summer grazing of the marshes. For many years the Humber acted as the northern frontier of the Roman Empire and several Romano-British settlements were established in the vicinity. The Saxons and Danes both settled in the area and left their mark, not least in typical placenames. The Humber continued to have great importance for trade and communication and so became more densely populated and quite wealthy in the next few centuries. This situation continued through the Medieval period and subsequently although there were fluctuations in the fortunes of the area as trade ebbed and flowed. The area declined in prosperity in the 16th and 17th centuries as a result of competition for trade, as well as improvements to inland transport systems.

Hull, however, prospered and became the principal port and town in the area. There is evidence, especially to the north of the Humber, of some drainage of the marshes as long ago as 180 AD and the local abbeys began to promote drainage schemes in the 12th century. It was however only after the 17th century that the processes of coastal reclamation, drainage and enclosure came to have such a great impact on the rural landscape. Dutch engineers were involved here, as in the Humberhead Levels, and they carried out extensive drainage improvements by cutting new drainage channels, enlarging watercourses, constructing flood protection berms and installing sophisticated sluice and pumping systems. The practice of warping was also introduced by the Dutch in the 18th century and the addition of tidal silts substantially increased the fertility of the soils. Warping drains still remain, although the practice has long ceased. They are still quite visible in the landscape because of their high flood embankments. Drainage improvements and changing farming practices continued during the 18th century and early 19th centuries and most of the drained land was enclosed then.

Parliamentary enclosure produced the regular, geometric fields enclosed by hedges as well as dykes, and also introduced some of the same type of brick built isolated farms found to the north in Holderness. In this century Hull has continued to be an important port and the estuary has assumed greater commercial importance in providing a gateway into Europe. As a result there has been substantial industrial development on the foreshore, primarily on the south bank. This has resulted in a large amount of important but visually quite intrusive development including oil refineries, cargo handling facilities and power stations. Saltend to the north of the Humber and Immingham to the south are particularly notable and the latter has special significance as Britains early 20th century new port. Communication has also continued to be of great importance and construction of new road links and the bridge crossing has provided significant modern additions to the landscape. In common with other estuaries in this country and indeed in Europe, the Humber estuary today blends the rural, agricultural scene with modern industrial installations, all knitted together by the ever present tidal waters. The two communities on the opposite banks of the estuary are quite different culturally and even the building of the Humber Bridge to link them has not altered this.

Buildings and Settlement The City of Hull and the modern structures of the Humber Bridge and the various industrial installations are the most obvious examples of building and settlement in the Humber Estuary. Other smaller scale building has generally not occurred because so much of the area is low lying and prone to flooding. Settlement has therefore traditionally been restricted to drier land at a slightly higher altitude and villages and hamlets lie mainly in adjacent areas like Holderness. Where more traditional buildings do occur they are built of soft red brick and red pantiles, continuing the pattern found in the Yorkshire vales to the north. They also sometimes include cobbles nearer to the coast, echoing the pattern in Holderness. The bricks would traditionally have been those produced locally in the area as Hull was, with nearby Beverley, and the Barton Clay Pits the home of the early English brick making industry. The coastal nature of the landscape is signalled by the appearance of some lighthouses, concrete sea defences and the coastal buildings on the Spurn peninsula. Crossing the estuary the patterns of buildings and settlement owe more to the influences and traditions of Lincolnshire.

Land Cover Outside the built up area of Hull and the developed areas along the shores of the estuary, the predominant land cover is arable farm land. Some grassland remains and is grazed by cattle. There are a few relict areas of salt marsh and reedbeds along the tidal channels which cross the drained marshes and there is also some remaining marshy grassland. The water filled Barton clay pits, which once supplied the brick-making industry and now lie disused below the Humber Bridge, contain open water, reedbeds and other wetland vegetation and are of considerable value for birds. In the estuary itself mudflats cover extensive areas and are exposed at low water. They are of international importance because of their role in providing feeding areas for birds. Woodland cover is relatively sparse but there are a few blocks of medium sized, regularly shaped deciduous woodland, which are particularly prominent in the flat, open and uniform farmed landscape. The Changing Countryside  This is a landscape which has evolved continuously over the centuries in response to changing environmental and farming conditions, and this dynamic situation continues. The main pressures for change today come from the demand for industrial development in this highly strategic location in relation to European trade.

The resulting development has had a particular impact on the south bank of the estuary but there are significant development pressures around the major settlements and along major transport corridors. Because the landscape is so open and exposed it is quite difficult to conceal new building and structures and they inevitably can be visible over long distances.  Much agricultural improvement has taken place and in the last forty years intensification has led to loss of many trees, hedgerows and woodland which might once have existed. More recently, changes have resulted from farm diversification and fragmentation. The intensive nature of the agriculture raises some concerns about water quality and the possible effects of effluent in causing pollution of both surface and ground water.  Change also results from natural coastal and estuarine processes and there is considerable interest in the way that these processes may develop in the future. It is an extremely complex process but there is some concern that rates of silt deposition in the estuary may be reducing so that the levels of mudflats and salt marshes will not be renewed, with potentially significant consequences if sea levels should continue to rise. The result could be increased flood risk for land around the estuary.

Shaping the future  The need for an integrated and co-ordinated approach to management of the estuary and an associated strategy is widely recognized. Issues to be considered might include the development of new flood defence strategies in the face of changing sea levels, as well as the many complex development issues. There may, through this or other more modest mechanisms, be scope to recreate some inter-tidal habitats and other types of habitat which have virtually disappeared because of drainage and agricultural intensification. The Spurn peninsula offers scope to demonstrate best practice in coastal management.  Habitat recreation could help to enrich what has become a somewhat impoverished landscape with only minor remnants of its former wetland character. Examples of reedbed management exist on the south bank.  Scope to increase woodland cover exists, especially round the industrial and urban areas. Selected References Estuary History - ABP Humber The Future Estuary History The following text is taken from a Report entitled 'The Humber Estuary - A selection of papers on present knowledge of the estuary and its future potential given at two symposia arranged by the Humber Advisory Group and the University of Hull' dated 20 January 1979.

Synopsis NV Jones, Department of Zoology, University of Hull History The Humber has been formed by the amalgamation of several rivers running from West to East, breaking through the chalk wolds and later being forced into a south-easterly direction by an ice front. The development of the existing drainage system and more recent changes in the course of the main channels resulting from natural changes and man-made developments are discussed by de Boer in Chapter 1. The movement of channels within the Humber Estuary is a continuing process. In the upper Humber, channel migration tends to be faster than further downstream and important changes which have taken place since the beginning of the century are discussed by Denman in Chapter 2. In the lower Humber, the present main channel is similar to that shown on the earliest English chart with soundings, dated about 1560; changes in sea level have, however, caused significant changes in the configuration of the coastline in this region. For example, the area from Sunk Island to Spurn had settlements in pre-Norman conquest times but these were abandoned when the sea level began to rise late in the 13th century leaving a shoal - Sunk Island.

A reduction in the rate of rise of sea level in the 17th century stimulated reclamation activities during which Sunk Island and Cherry Cob Sands were recovered. Shoals in the upper estuary have also been the basis of the reclamation of both broomfleet Island and Read's Island in the 19th century. Spurn Peninsula is an unusual feature of the outer estuary and historical studies show that the present spit is the fifth for which records exist. Previous spits seem to have followed a cycle of growth and destruction lasting about 250 years; artificial stabilization has however prevented, but only just, thedestruction of the present spit for 100 years longer than might otherwise have been expected. Physical features The main approach channel to the Humber leads through New Sand Hole and divides into three channels south of Spurn Head: Hawke Road, Bull Channel and Haile Channel where depths vary between 9 and 16 meters at Low Water. West of Grimsby the channels merge to give deep water (12-19 m at Low Water springs) exploited by the Immingham Oil Terminal. The channel then crosses to the north bank at Hull where Low Water depths are 9 m or more.

As indicated above, these outer estuary channels have been relatively stable for a long time but those to the west of Hull are much less reliable with the main navigable channel changing from the south side of Read's Island to the north bank and back again with a cycle time of up to 20 years. The British Transport Docks Board1 accumulated a great deal of physical data which was used in designing and operating a large model of the estuary for research purposes. Unfortunately this model is no longer functional2. Some of the data quoted by Denman in Chapter 2 are summarised here to give a general idea of the dynamics of the estuary. The tidal cycle in the outer estuary is nearly sinusoidal with a 6.25hour ebb and flood component. At brough, however, the ebb tide extends over 8 hours and the flood for 4.5 hours. The volume of water passing Spurn Head during a spring tide is about 1.7 x 109 m2 but only 60 per cent of this during a neap tide.

The freshwater input averages about 246 cumecs with an increase to about 1 550 cumecs at times of flood, The Humber is generally a well-mixed estuary with salinity varying by less than 5 per cent with depth. On a winter spring tide there can be as much as 3 x 106 tons of silt carried in suspension but only about a third of this would be suspended during a summer neap tide. This suspended load varies with position in the estuary and stage of the tidal cycle, it is also affected by temperature arid freshwater discharge. now Associated British Ports (ABP) This is a reference to the physical model of the Humber Estuary that once stood on the site of what is now Port House, ABP’s local headquarters. A wholly-owned subsidiary of ABP, ABPmer, continues to operate a mathematical model of the estuary at its base in Southampton. The substrata of the intertidal areas are predominantly muddy but the central bed is mainly fine to medium sand with some local gravel and boulder clay exposures.

The movements of the sediments both within the estuary and in the adjacent parts of the North Sea require further investigation Chemistry and pollution The Rivers Ouse and Trent contribute an average daily flow of 246 cumecs to the Humber of which about 14 cumecs are sewage effluent and 12 cumecs are trade effluent. A further 2.5 cumecs sewage and 3.1 cumecs trade effluent are discharged directly into the Humber. The regional water authorities (Anglian, Yorkshire and Severn-Trent) and their predecessors have been monitoring several chemical and biological parameters and such surveys are planned to continue. In Chapter 3 Urquhart summarises the work that has been carried out and also draws attention to the production by the Water Research Centre of a one-dimensional time dependent model for the estuary which, it is hoped, will provide a basis for the future management of the tidal waters. Dissolved oxygen rarely falls below 50 per cent saturation in the middle and outer estuary but in the area to the west of brough it is very variable, the range recorded being from zero to supersaturation.

This oxygen sag in the upper estuary is a long-standing one and possibly partly natural; it has however been improving in recent years, a situation which can be correlated with improvements in the condition of the River Trent. Extreme values of oxidised nitrogen range from 0.4 mg 1-1 at Spurn to 12.0 mg 1-1 at Trent Falls. Ammoniacal nitrogen in the Ouse and Trent has shown a decrease since 1964 which is related to an associated increase in oxidised nitrogen. Levels of ammonia at Killingholme have however remained more or less constant at 0. 1 mg 1-1. Heavy metal analyses of estuarine water have posed some practical difficulties but records are kept of metal levels in both sediments and organisms, particularly with respect to certain discharges. Determinations of copper, zinc, lead, cadmium and iron carried out by L. H. Jones and discussed in Chapter 4 showed considerable variability between species, seasons and different years. Generally, organisms in the Humber carry metal loads similar to animals from estuaries classed as reasonably unpolluted with respect to these elements.

Metal levels in sediments and organisms were generally higher from within the estuary than from the coastal regions outside, but no study was made of the relationship between the levels recorded and the nature of the sediments. Biology Both benthic and intertidal surveys (see Urquhart, Chapter 3, and Jones and Ratcliffe, Chapter 5) have shown the expected increase in diversity of animal life from the freshwater to Coastal mapping - a simple guide: Humber Estuary - OpenLearn - Open University Coastal mapping - a simple guide: Humber Estuary Updated Tuesday 6th November 2007 A simple guide to changes in the Humber Estuary. For a richer experience, explore these changes with our coastal mapping interactive. The Humber Estuary is a substantial funnel shaped estuarine, dominated by marine derived sediment, and a long thin spit with a south west orientation (Spurn Head). It is a macro tidal estuary with a large tidal range. The tidal range is comparable with that of the River Severn. This spit has undergone many periods of erosion and accretion over time, and has changed orientation slowly. The spit has been breached several times by waves overtopping the crest of the peninsula.

Washover helps build the peninsula on the western side. Spurn Head is considered to have been formed by longshore drift of sediment washed out of the clay cliffs. The marine sediment has formed large tidal flats, and sand bars. The estuary is fed by sediment form the adjacent Holderness coast as well as fluvial sediment. The tidally dominated areas create mudflats, whereas low wave energies create the sand flats in the lee of Spurn Head. The Humber Estuary is a major shipping route, with large ports such as Grimsby and Immingham sitting on the river banks. Here, there are several jetties, docks and lock gates illustrating the importance of trade within this area. 1828 map Copyright: National Maritime Museum This is an accretionary system comprising highly mobile sands and mobile sand sheets. The area consists of a hooked spit and several large shoals both in the harbour entrance and in the harbour channel. In the lee of the spit, is a substantial tidal sand flat (Trinity Sands), representing quiescent sediment depositional area, created by low energy wave conditions.

Washover from the coastal side of the spit is an important process, which causes breaching at high water or on a spring tide. The strong ebb tide also causes ripples offshore. 1828 Copyright: Open2 team Several sand shoals exist in the entrance. These are mobile banks which undergo various stages of growth and erosion. Sand Haile flats form the southern part of the entrance. This is an extensive area of exposed sands. The entrance consists of a deep shipping channel, bounded by mobile bars. The exchange of sediment between the bars is an important process occurring within the harbour entrance. The mobile sands add to the complexity of this estuarine system. 1877 Copyright: Open2 team The entrance of the Harbour is depicted by the dominance of Spurn Head - the narrow spit which extends in a south west direction into the Harbour Channel. This is a narrow feature but has an important strategic position along this stretch of the coastline. This spit has been fed by sediment moving southwards along the adjacent shore, eroded from the soft glacial cliffs. In the lee of Spurn is a sand flat (Trinity Sand) which has changed extensively since the last chart. North Channel cuts into this sand flat.

The Harbour mouth is also dominated by a series of deep channels and sand bars. These are complicated and are controlled by the movement of the sand bars, and also the dredging. The volume of water exiting this estuary and the amount of sediment being transported within the system add to the complexity of the area. 1877 Source map h2g2 - Spurn Point and Head, East Yorkshire, UK - Edited Entry To The Galaxy Earth Edition Spurn Point and Head, East Yorkshire, UK Content from the guide to life, the universe and everything Spurn Point and Head, East Yorkshire, UK Created 1 Conversation Updated February 2015 ...lonelier and lonelier, and after that the birds and lights of Spurn Head, and after that the sea. – Philip Larkin Spurn Point in East Yorkshire is a ruggedly beautiful sandspit 3½ miles (5.6km) in length. The most extreme portion, Spurn Head , tapers to a finger which points across the River Humber towards Cleethorpes on the east coast of Lincolnshire . Spurn, as locals know it, is sometimes cut off from the mainland, mainly due to harsh winter storms.

This uncultivated wilderness is now part of England's Heritage Coast, a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Defence of the Realm Spurn was part of the portfolio of the ennobled Constable family for over 700 years until 1925 when it was the subject of a compulsory purchase order by the War Office. Sea defences were built and maintained while the military were in control of the area. Around the mid-1950s the Ministry of Defence decided the peninsula was no longer required and offers were invited from anyone interested in buying the land. Among the bidders was a local consortium who wished to develop Spurn, populate it with chalets or caravans and promote it as a holiday park. Other people objected to that particular idea. Finally, in 1959 Spurn was purchased by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Thanks to the efforts of the Trust, Spurn is now a designated Special Protection Area, but they could not afford to maintain or replace the old sea defences, so its fate now lies at the mercy of the sea.

Protection Area As you head towards the lighthouse along the narrow road, the spit of land thins down to a mere 165ft (50m) in places, giving a feeling of vulnerability with the River Humber to your right and the North Sea to your left. These bodies of water are quite different, the North Sea is energised and dynamic, actively crashing against the rocky coastline. In complete contrast, the River Humber barely laps against its shore, shepherded as it is by the 'arm' of Spurn. The stillness is deceptive though, because the gravitational influence of the Moon is at work. Therefore the vegetation on this side has to be able to withstand being immersed in salt water every 12 hours due to the tidal movement . On your walk you will pass a variety of wildflowers; depending upon the time of year you can admire fragrant bluebells, willowy poppies, vibrant viper's bugloss and spectacular orchids . No flower-picking is allowed. Other plant species include sea bindweed, glasswort, sea buckthorn, marram grass and sea holly.

Pop onto the beach and you'll find objects like 'mermaids' purses', which are actually the washed-up egg cases of skates and rays. Nestled among the shingle are fossils of ancient sea creatures dating back to the Jurassic Period. These include the easily-identifiable ammonite and the 'Devil's toenail' (Gryphaea arcuata) – an extinct bivalve oyster. As you gaze across the vast expanse of the River Humber it's difficult not to think of the hardy souls who have swum across it. Haydn Taylor (1897 - 1962) was the first person to conquer the great divide (he also swam the English Channel ). Women have also succeeded in this challenge, but some people have died in the attempt. The River Humber is a main shipping route which ships and tankers have to navigate on their way to and from the industrial port of Immingham, just north of Grimsby. There are also North Sea ferries on their way to European destinations. With all this floating traffic, nowadays swimming across the mouth of the River Humber is not allowed unless you have permission and the attempt is undertaken with strict supervision.

Should anyone wish to try it, the swimming distance from Cleethorpes to Spurn is 5.6 miles (9km). The same distance in the car via the Humber Bridge is around 58 miles (93km). Avian Abundance Spurn is a haven for migrant birds, giving them a stopping-off place during a long journey. It also provides a sanctuary for overwintering birds. One esteemed ornithologist who was a regular visitor to Spurn was Dr William Eagle 1 Clarke (1853 - 1938), who was Curator of Leeds Museum and Keeper of the Natural History Department of the Royal Scottish Museum during his career. He wrote up his observations in The Birds of Yorkshire (1907) and Studies in Bird Migration (1912). So abundant are the avian numbers and variety of species , some of which are rare visitors to UK shores, that a special Bird Observatory was set up just after WWII. Conditions have improved since those early days, when there were two chemical toilets and no heating. Today at the Observatory you can stay overnight provided you book in advance and follow the strict guidelines.

Annually up to 200 bird species have been logged at Spurn, making it a magnet for twitchers all year round. Two peregrine falcons were spotted displaying over the River Humber in January 2012. Other magnificent birds of prey like red kites and sparrowhawks have been seen, as well as seabirds like the noble albatross and enigmatic puffins, long-legged wading birds, and even a stately kingfisher. Visitors can take part in ringing birds so long as the appropriate permits are held and there is a qualified ringer present. Even though the breeding area at Beacon Ponds is protected by an electrified fence, a crafty fox still managed to get inside and help himself to all the Little Tern chicks which had hatched in June 2012. Other Wildlife Judging by the sheer number of cocoons on display in the bushes, the actual caterpillar tally of Spurn must be incalculable.

You can also expect to see lizards darting in and out of the bushes, newts swimming in ponds, porpoise breaching in the sea, Hebridean sheep grazing, seals basking on the shore and roe deer roaming the gorse and bracken. Whales have been known to swim around Spurn and into the River Humber – this is not cause for celebration, such events rarely have a happy ending. The decomposing body of a Minke whale was washed up on Spurn in April 2012 but the next tide took it away. Some White-beaked dolphins and Bottle-nosed dolphins were spotted in the North Sea, 22 nautical miles off the coast of Spurn on 30 May, 2012. Over 20 species of butterfly have been recorded at Spurn, including Brown Argus, Camberwell Beauty, Clouded Yellow, Comma, Common Blue , Gatekeeper, Green Hairstreak, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Meadow Brown, Orange-tip, Painted Lady, Peacock , Red Admiral, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Swallowtail and Wall Brown.

Beware of the Brown-tail Moth Caterpillars As you walk along you may find yourself dodging Brown-tail moth caterpillars which are trying to cross the road (there are many casualties). These creatures must not be touched as they can cause skin irritation, rashes and, in some cases, allergic reaction. Asthmatics should take particular care not to come into contact with them, as they have been known to cause breathlessness. There are signs warning visitors about these caterpillars as you enter the area, with reminders situated at various intervals all the rest of the way. These caterpillars aren't unique to Spurn. When there was an invasion of them in 1997, a popular beach on the Isle of Wight 2 had to be closed to the public. The Humber Lifeboat There has been a lifeboat station on Spurn since the early 19th Century. The lifeboat crew and their families lived in houses provided for them and for many years this was the only fully-manned lifeboat station in the UK. On 1 July, 2007, four adults and three children adrift in a 1.8m dingy were rescued by the lifeboat crew.

Sometimes there isn't a happy ending; on 3 May, 2008, a callout ended with the recovery of a body. In 2009 there were over 50 lifeboat callouts which the crew answered, with no fatalities. Some of the calls were to help people who required aid while on Spurn itself, like the boy who fell off his bicycle, grazing his knees and shins, the woman who twisted her ankle and a very distressed young lady with sun lotion in her eye. In March 2010 the lifeboat was on standby to attend the Gas Rig 47-3B in the North Sea due to a possible gas leak. Luckily that wasn't the disaster it could have been. Due to the increasing erosion and breaching of the only access road, early in the 21st Century the RNLI debated whether it could continue to support the small community if their safety could not be guaranteed. In 2012 a decision was made to relocate the families inland. That wasn't the end of the lifeboat station though, as their work is imperative.

A new shift pattern has been devised, and the lifeboat will still be available 24/7 thanks to the crew working a six days on/six days off rota. Spurn Lighthouses The first lighthouse at Spurn was built around 1360. According to historical records this was the third lighthouse to be built in the British Isles after the Roman Pharos at Dover Castle (c1 AD) and St Catherine's Oratory (1328) on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. As the sea encroached, that early Spurn lighthouse was destroyed. Justinian Angell's Lighthouse was erected in its place in 1674. It had to be moved westwards several times until it was dismantled and replaced with Smeaton's Lighthouse in 1776. Smeaton's Lighthouse was overcome in 1830 but was repaired and back in working order by 1831. It was taken down upon completion of the current lighthouse in 1895. Designed by Thomas Matthews, it stands 128ft (39m) tall and contains a total of 145 steps.

The oil lamp was replaced by electricity in 1941 which was then converted to gas in 1957. After 90 years of continuous use, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1985. Since then it has fallen into a state of disrepair, the peeling external paintwork is quite a shock when viewed for the first time. Although it is possible to get up close and personal with the lighthouse, admission to the interior is not allowed. Looking east across the River Humber from Cleethorpes promenade on a clear day it's possible to make out the tiny black-and-white sentinel which guided many a boat to safety in olden times. One wonders how many sailors' lives it saved, and why this iconic landmark has been left to rot. Lottery Grant In 2013, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust was awarded a £470,500 lottery grant to renovate and convert the derelict lighthouse into a visitors' centre. The project is on-going at February 2015. A Fort and a Wind Farm Bull Sand Fort sits at the mouth of the estuary.

It was built on a sand bank during WWI and provided armed protection for the east coast during WWII. In 1987 it was awarded Grade II Listed Building status. The Humber Gateway Wind Farm is being built in the North Sea 5 miles (8km) east of Spurn, with a projected construction cost of £736m. Planning consent for 77 turbines was granted in February 2011, despite the objections of anti-wind turbine campaigners who have expressed concerns about the effect the wind farm would have on marine life. Visiting Spurn If you are going to visit this unique area, check the tide times first. You don't want to risk getting cut off! Remember to take your binoculars and sunglasses. As there are no shops and the only café is seasonal, you'd be wise to take some food and drink along as well. Beyond a certain point you have to leave your car and walk the rest of the way, so sturdy walking shoes are a must. Spurn is completely exposed to the elements so be aware it will be windy and there will be sand blowing about. Although the area is flat, the road is uneven in parts and when the road ends, further passage is hard work.

Therefore, some thought should be given if people with mobility issues wish to proceed further. There is deep sand which is tiring to walk through, and high dunes which are strewn with prickly bushes. Once past these the sand becomes firmer, and a walk around the Point to witness the North Sea clashing with the River Humber's strong current is well worth the effort. As Spurn is a National Nature Reserve, no dogs (except guide dogs) are allowed, and no smoking is permitted. Cyclists and walkers are not charged admittance. Prior to Doctor Beeching hacking Britain's railways apart, there was a decent rail service which would get relatively close. If you were in the army, you could have hitched a lift on their supply railway which actually went right down to the head. What Dr Beeching didn't destroy, the tide has, however. Now all that's left is a few bits of rail that cross the road at very strange angles on the long drive down the spit, testament to the movement the point has undergone over the decades. The nearest railway station is now Hull (coded HUL on the National Rail Enquiries website ).

Getting There By car: In 2012 cars were charged £3 at the main entrance, but you don't have to leave your car there. There are car parks staggered along the way so you can tailor your ramble to suit your needs. You can actually drive right up to the lighthouse, but you'd be missing an awful lot. Also, the road is narrow and there isn't room for two cars to pass each other in some parts, so there will be plenty of pulling over, stopping, and starting again. Meanwhile, ruddy-cheeked backpackers enjoying the bracing fresh air on foot will overtake! Yorkshire Wildlife Trust members can park free on production of a valid membership card. By bus: The bus service number 73 operates between Withernsea and Spurn Point and connects at Patrington to provide a direct connection from Hull. Through fares are available. By bicycle: There are some cycle ways if you refer to Google Earth, but much of these are little better than muddy tracks better suited to wellies than bike tyres. The road is by far the best bet, Google Earth provides useful directions. The route is busy at first, but once out of Hull it improves, and is fairly easy to follow.

In total it's just under 30 miles (48km), so it's a fair slog (that's just one way – you're in for a 60 mile (96km) round trip!). Be warned there's no refreshments there, but you will pass a pub or two on the way. The last of these is The Crown and Anchor at Kilnsea, which is the most easterly pub in Yorkshire. They do accommodation if you need somewhere to stay. The ride itself is about as flat as you can get, so not tiring hill-wise, just hope for calm winds as it's very exposed. Not recommended as a winter ride unless you're a hardy, serious cyclist. Worthy of note: during the ride you cross the Greenwich Meridian shortly after you leave the village of Patrington – there is a signpost at the side of the road marking the location of this. If you make the effort to visit this special area, you won't be disappointed as you experience the delights of nature in the raw. You'll be following in the footsteps of poet Philip Larkin 3 and composer Ralph Vaughan Williams who sought this desolate, isolated place for inspiration.

Storm Damage in 2013 On 5 December, 2013, the road to Spurn was washed away by a tidal surge at the northern end. The Environment Agency said this North Sea tidal surge was the worst since January 1953 . It is no longer possible for the general public to drive down Spurn. The RNLI and ABP employees use four wheel drives to get about but members of the public have to walk. And now because the peninsula gets turned into an island at certain high tides, care needs to be taken by visitors to avoid getting stranded on the wrong side of the breach. Spurn is still a wonderful place to visit though. 1 What a great name for an ornithologist! 2 People on the Isle of Wight call them 'gurt mallyshag', meaning 'great big hairy caterpillar'. 3 Librarian of the Brynmor Jones Library at the nearby University of Hull from 1955 until his death in 1985.

Question: Spurn Head lies at the estuary of which English river
Answer: Humber